Braves bust out late to take series from Nationals

WASHINGTON — Ozzie Albies helped break open a tie game with a two-run single in the seventh as part of a four-run inning and the Braves defeated the Nationals 7-2 at Nationals Park to complete another series win.

Now 18-8 this season, the Braves have gone 7-0-1 in their first eight series and completed a 6-1 road trip with a sweep of the Phillies and series victory against the Nationals.

Albies also hit a solo home in the ninth to finish his day 3-for-4 with four RBIs.

Michael Harris II had another impressive day at the plate by going 3-for-4 with a double and pair of RBIs. He is 15-for-36 with four home runs, nine RBIs, two doubles, three walks and six runs scored since the birth of his first son.

Harris, however, did leave the game with left quad tightness after being right in the heart of the Braves’ late rally.

“It was a little tight, and I didn’t want to have to go later in the game and have to make a real (defensive) jump and make it worse,” Harris said. “It’s still early in the season, we had a lead right there, so kind of a precaution.”

In a 2-2 game in the seventh, with one out and runners on the corners, Austin Riley, who had been 1-for-his-last-16 before a fourth-inning double, worked a walk to load the bases. The Nationals brought in Gus Varland from the bullpen to face Albies, and Varland was immediately behind 1-0 because of a pitch clock violation.

Varland’s next pitch went to the backstop, allowing Drake Baldwin to score. Albies hit the following pitch into right for a two-run single. One pitch into facing Harris, Harris banged a run-scoring double into the gap in right to make it 6-2.

The Braves will go into the weekend, a three-game series against the Phillies at Truist Park, with the most wins in baseball and a run differential of plus-62.

“We’re always having fun and we’re trying to go out there and execute and have fun right after we execute,” Harris said. “Everything’s clicking right now. It feels good to win these series and come back home and play Philly again.”

The Nationals took the lead in the first Thursday afternoon when James Wood took the first pitch of the game from Braves starter JR Ritchie (1-0) and hit it 375 feet into the stands in right field. Ritchie was making his MLB debut.

The Braves came back with a two-spot in the fourth, getting a sacrifice fly from Albies and an RBI single by Harris. CJ Abrams tied the game at 2-all in the bottom of the fourth with a one-out homer, golfing a pitch 426 feet out to right.